The man who managed to somehow get a solitary white guy into a room of 1000 Asian people was my friend Irshad Malik (known to all simply as Malik). At the time Malik was running a convenience store in Bathgate (in addition to an office job elsewhere), where my parents live and have known him for many years.

He’s a committed Yesser, a tireless worker and gave The Wee Blue Book out in the shop (one of very few places in Bathgate which sold The National from day 1).

I mention this now because he’s in a spot of bother, and I owe him one.

Malik has advanced Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, and – not to beat around the bush – is staring death in the face, which means his lovely wife and two young children are too. He’s on a mindboggling and debilitating catalogue of pretty hardcore medication, and there’s nothing else that NHS Scotland can offer him.

You can find more details of his situation at his fundraiser page here, and if any of you can spare a few pounds to try to help him out, it’d be greatly appreciated.

He’s a great guy and he’s been a real friend to the independence movement. I hope it can be one to him now.

Whether Malik is a friend of Indy or not doesn’t come into it, he’s a decent human being, who along with his family are suffering. “There but for the grace of God go i” Unfortunately prayers & a wee donation is all we can do…

Thank you, Malik, for your part in the struggle. You did not let us down. I donated immediately, knowing how I would feel if this was someone I cherished and I had to rely, in sheer desperation, on ‘the kindness of strangers.’ Stay strong. No man is an island who has friends.

It seems SNP let down the 2 officers that were stabbed
By a random bloke who flipped his lid???
Unlike Tory England, SNP has ensured Scottish police numbers
Have not been cut and not even New York can match the incredible
Number of Stabbings, and deaths in London,
But let’s just cover that up and try to slander SNP.

Also this Clown Cooper who hates everything Scottish but refuses to relocate.
Syria sounds like a good move for him when measured against his complaints
List for Scotland.
His train was late so the SNP transport minister should resign?
Major rail hubs such as Liverpool Lime St is facing distaster for
A period on 8 Weeks.
Now that is a late train but again you can forget about measuring the most
Punctual and Reliable Scottish service against the hopelessly incompetent
Toy train set overseen by the Tories in England.

Absolutely bare faced liars making a living out of distorting the truth

donation made. c’mon you wingers – this is what a new scotland should be like. Hopefully i wont get pelters for this – this not a manipulative emotional appeal for self-virtuous charity. This is about compassion (from the gut) for our fellow human beings. What if it was you?

I am not giving this bloke a penny. The reason is simple, I’ve had leukaemia since 2012 (incurable), discovering in the process how quickly life savings vanish along with how difficult it is to get any benefit from the UK Govt.
Literally, it feels like ‘they’ just want me to die and go away.
Despite no change in health, fighting an apparent 5k overpayment for a 4 year period when the DLA decided to downgrade me for a while. (ATOS…)

Malik, Please read Outsmarting Your Cancer by Tanya Pierce. I think it’s also on line though I haven’t seen it myself. She investigates the successful alternative cures, the ones we are not told about.
Good luck.

I’ll chuck some money into his fund but I sincerely hope he doesn’t use it for for any of the treatments named – these are all total quackery and won’t help him. Gerson therapy is expecially unpleasant – it involves up to five daily coffee enemas, plus dietary restrictions and masses of juiced vegetables. The Oasis of Hope’s Tijuana location is a red flag. That’s where most quack cancer-cure clinics are – conveniently close to the border, so that US cancer patients can easily get there.
Has he tried to get onto any clinical trials? These are free and the only expense would be in travelling there (a lot are in the US). And the sliver of hope they offer is genuine.
Honestly, I really wish do wish him the best, and hope that he instead spends the money on nice things for himself and his family, making memories for them.

I am very, very sorry for the long overdue comment that I should have made a few weeks back – things had been up and down a little.
I am simply writing from the deepest recesses of my heart and a place of gratitude for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, I have been TOTALLY OVERWHELMED to the core by everyone’s reaction, generosity and heartfelt sentiments. Here I was, a total stranger (or so I thought) and yet on a simple request from our Rev. Stu, everyone rallied around and opened their hearts and their wallets to help ME – a person you’ve NEVER met. THAT was tearfully heartwarming – A BIG THANK YOU to you ALL
Secondly, as I mentioned above, I thought I was a stranger. But after reading the heart-touching comments I received from SO MANY of You, I felt a sense of belongingness. All of you made me feel a part of the Indy family – and that was EXTREMELY humbling. By the time, I finished reading the comments over several days, I had a renewed feeling of, “Yes, this IS a family and YES, I DO belong HERE! When anyone is going through calamity in their life, it is critical that they have a strong, positive support group. I found that support group in YOU – my Indy family. So THANK YOU for accepting me as a part of your family.
I am saving the BEST for LAST. Of course, none of this would have been remotely possible if it was not for my dear friend and on this occasion my guide, Rev. Stu. Stuart and I have been friends for a number of years. And although I didn’t see him as much as I would have liked to have seen him over the years but that did not make a difference to our friendship and our bond. Not ONLY is he an interesting person but the occasional discourse I HAVE had with him left a distinct impression on me of his calibre. Stuart is a VERY intelligent & insightful person – (my thoughts after spending some time with him). Stu, a BIG THANK YOU to YOU. You’ve made this possible.
I have tried to personally thank everyone for their generosity and their comments by reply. If by any chance I have missed ANYONE out, please accept my apologies and appreciation alike.
In closing, I would like to end with my sincere regard for your thoughts, your efforts and your sentiments.
With great gratitude – Malik

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